FIVE QUESTIONS ... with Dave Kieffer, owner of Mellow Mushroom in Decatur

By Jon Waterhouse
For the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 07/31/08

Restaurateur Dave Kieffer incorporates his love for the pizza business and passion for B-movies into the downtown Decatur Mellow Mushroom location. As a franchisee for the pizza chain, he puts his own stamp on his store, decorating the tables with classic horror and sci-fi posters. And he uses artwork that places the Mellow Mushroom cartoon characters alongside creatures like Frankenstein, Godzilla and men from Mars.

How did you wind up opening your own Mellow Mushroom restaurant?

After high school I moved to New York with my family. But I was a wannabe rock star, so I moved back to Atlanta to play with my band. Since we never really made any money on the music front, I had to do something to make a living. I got a job with the Mellow Mushroom on Powers Ferry Road, which was the second store franchised ... I worked there on and off for around 11 years until I started working with my family selling and servicing sheet-fed printing presses. After my dad decided to retire, I hit him up to let me try to open my own Mellow Mushroom, as I had really grown to like the company. He finally gave in, and I opened this store in February 2001.

Why Decatur?

I decided on Decatur because I had grown up in Stone Mountain and had always liked the Decatur area. It seemed like Decatur was a really up-and-coming area with a small-town feel, which was right up my alley. So I was thrilled to get this spot.

Do you think downtown Decatur is reaching its peak of restaurant saturation?

There are quite a few restaurants in Decatur, but I'm not sure it's really reached the point of saturation. It's great for me as a Decatur resident to have so many choices, too. So I see it more as a plus.

Your restaurant's decor is heavy on the B-movie theme. Explain the fandom.

I consider myself a huge B-movie fan. As a kid in Ohio, I used to love watching Ghoulardi, a local horror host broadcast out of Cleveland, which is when I really started to love the old classic monster and sci-fi movies. The first movie my dad took me to at the drive-in was "Food of the Gods" based on the H.G. Wells story. It really terrified me as a kid, and I've been fascinated with the genre ever since.

As a horror and sci-fi fan, what's your idea of the perfect desert island DVD?

There are a lot of great ones to choose from, but I am really a sucker for all of Tobe Hooper's stuff. And I can watch "The Funhouse" over and over again. Traveling carnivals have a certain weirdness factor inherently, and that movie just really catches that whole feel for me.

> Mellow Mushroom Pizza, 265 Ponce De Leon Place, Suite Q, Decatur. 404-370-0008, www.mellowmushroompizza.